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2016- The Worst of Times?

My son came home from college, shaking his head. His fellow millennials were lamenting that 2016 was the worst year ever: “David Bowie and Prince died!” My son’s response: “Worst year ever? What about 1939?” Nazis starting World War II was a lot worse than some celebrities passing away.

As a pediatrician, I saw many good things about 2016. While preparing for my yearly mission trip to Honduras, I’m reminded of positives for even the most impoverished U.S. citizens- clean water, with no risk of cholera. And while some American kids go hungry, there isn’t the abject starvation of the third world.

Though we worry about the environmental impact of coal, oil production, and car exhaust, we enjoy pretty clean air compared to the third world. Their vehicles and factories have unregulated emissions, families cook inside over open fires, and farms often practice slash-and-burn techniques.

In fact, Americans suffer from too many good things. Too much food and too much sitting around looking at screens leads to obesity. 2016 has highlighted another rising glut- too much information. The recent presidential race has revealed growing anxiety about which information is real, which is made up. Is this candidate telling the truth? Where are they getting their facts? What are the facts, and where to find them?

There was a recent political cartoon depicting two people looking at cellphones, wondering if the news they were reading was real or fake, and how they could find out. Standing behind them was a newspaper stand. A subtext of the joke is that many no longer trust information from traditional sources, like newspaper and TV media, government, or science. Too many conspiracy theories, too many scandals, have undermined faith in these traditional institutions.

As a doctor, my decision-making relies on good data. It’s a professional duty to find facts for the good of the patient. Newspaper and TV media and government scientists are the same. The vast majority of journalists and scientists are professionals, diligent about getting facts right. You can trust them for the best information, better than random websites. When looking for medical information, like about vaccines, go to the Centers for Disease Control or the American Academy of Pediatrics, rather than some un-credentialed crank.

Besides cataloging the year’s best and worst, a favorite new year pastime is making New Year’s Resolutions. I’m not big on resolutions myself. Doctors have to continually make new good habits and throw out old ones, as medical knowledge evolves. Nothing’s special about New Year’s when it comes to medical innovation.

I don’t encourage New Year’s resolutions in others either, as humorist Dave Barry wrote, “so that you can become a better you- a more-attractive you, an organized you, a you that is…well, less like you.” This column is always about making good habits all year, throughout your childrens’ growing-up, so they are safer and happier.

Good habits aren’t actually hard to make when there’s quick results. New Year’s resolutions, the good habits that we continually fail to make, are the ones that require persistence to get to the pay-off. Losing weight or exercising are commonly failed resolutions because it’s months before you look or feel better, while you suffer through cravings and pain. Quick pay-off habits, like always putting your car keys in your left pocket so you never lose them, are easy to develop.

Here’s an easy habit to keep your kids happy, healthy, and safe: get them a doctor and dentist. Many kids I see in the Emergency Department don’t have these. Some kids don’t get sick much, so their parents stopped taking them for yearly check-ups. When the kids do get sick, they get taken to a walk-in clinic or ER.

However, doctor and dentist practices help you keep good habits. At yearly check-ups, they discuss how to keep your kids well, appropriate to their age and development. If your kid’s a toddler, they discuss tooth-brushing and toddler-proofing the house. For teenagers, it’s about acne, wearing seat belts, and not getting pregnant.

My dentist’s office books my next appointment before I leave. Six months later I get two phone calls to remind me when to come. That’s a slick outfit- they keep their patients coming in, and my my teeth stay clean. Get your kids a dentist and doctor with such a well-run office. They’ll do your New Year’s resolution work for you.